Inadequate cross-language and cross-cultural communications can present a problem in medical interpretation, which may lead to errors in medical care. For example, patients may be hesitant to communicate fully and openly with physicians due to a variety of cultural influences such as 1) embarrassment or cultural norms, 2) misunderstandings regarding offered treatments based on differing medical practices in the patient's native environment, and 3) in some cases, a lack of terminology by which western medical concepts can be easily translated to the patient.
While the demand for qualified medical interpreters remains high, there are simply not enough available interpreters to meet the demand. Consequently, only a fraction of hospitals may be able to provide professionally trained interpreters. What's worse, many of the interpreters may lack adequate training in medical terminology. Machine translation may provide a viable option. The demands of medicine, however, tend to require that the matter be approached in a manner different from or more comprehensive than those employed in translating web pages or interpreting tourism related queries and responses. Specific needs of both physicians and patients often motivate the quest for medically accurate and culturally attuned communication.